Editing Ice cap (section)

== Description ==
By definition, ice caps are not constrained by [[topographical]] features (i.e., they must lie over the top of mountains). By contrast, ice masses of similar size that ''are'' constrained by topographical features are known as [[ice field]]s. The ''dome'' of an ice cap is usually centred on the highest point of a [[massif]]. Ice flows away from this high point (the [[ice divide]]) towards the ice cap's periphery.<ref name=DougBenn/><ref name=GreveBlatter2009/>

Ice caps significantly affect the [[geomorphology]] of the area they occupy. Plastic moulding, gouging and other [[glacial]] [[erosion]]al features become present upon the glacier's retreat. Many lakes, such as the [[Great Lakes]] in North America, as well as numerous valleys have been formed by glacial action over hundreds of thousands of years.

The Antarctic and Greenland contain 99% of the ice volume on earth, about {{convert|33|e6km3|e6mi3|abbr=off}} of total ice mass.<ref>{{cite web |title=Ice Sheet Quick Facts |url=https://nsidc.org/learn/parts-cryosphere/ice-sheets/ice-sheet-quick-facts |website=National Snow and Ice Data Center |publisher=CIRES at the University of Colorado Boulder |access-date=25 September 2023}}</ref>